


And strange hands halted me

by ShariDeschain



Category: Batman - All Media Types, Batman and Robin (Comics), Red Hood and the Outlaws (Comics)
Genre: Gen, Mild Hurt/Comfort, Sibling Bonding
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-12-27
Updated: 2017-12-27
Packaged: 2019-02-22 16:36:22
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 547
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13170882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ShariDeschain/pseuds/ShariDeschain
Summary: Tumblr prompt





	And strange hands halted me

The kid notices him the same moment he lands on the roof of the building. Not that Jason was trying to hide in the first place. Below them, through the glass skylight, he can hear the cheers and the yells of the men around the fenced pit, and the nervous barks of the dogs still locked into their cages.

Staring down at the kid, Jason knows that he should say something. Despite what Damian may think, he’s still too young to be out on his own. Too reckless. Too inexperienced. Stunts like this can go wrong in a blink of an eye. Jason knows that too.

But he also knows from Alfred that there’s been a letter delivered to the Manor tonight. A heavy, expensive-looking parchment envelope, sealed with red wax, that smelled like jasmine and screamed Talia Al Ghul from far away. He doesn’t know what the letter said, what argument Talia made this time to punish her son for abandoning her, but he can imagine it by looking into the kid’s burning eyes, now turned on him like a challenge.

Earlier tonight Bruce had seen the same anger in his son’s eyes, the same urgency to prove his mother wrong that Jason’s seeing now, and he had decided to bench Damian for the night. And he was right in doing so. Jason knows that too.

But.

But in the end, he doesn’t stop Robin from breaking through the glass and jumping down in the middle of the ring just as the illegal dog fighting begins. Doesn’t follow him either, not even when the gunfire starts. He’s been following this case for a few weeks now, and he knows there’s no hard criminal down there, that there’s nothing that Damian can not handle on his own. Besides, he’s just outside the building anyway, in the remote but always possible event that the kid needs his help.

He still feels a little guilty as he sits down to wait, but deep down he knows it’s the right thing to do, that the kid needs a proof of trust more than he needs help in a fight.

He has the confirmation twenty or so minutes later, when the shouting ends and the police’s sirens resonate throughout the whole neighborhood. The Red Hood wasn’t the one to call them, so it means that Damian’s done.

He looks at the kid now crawling out of the building, a little ruffled and with blood on his chin, but all in all looking pretty fine. If he’s surprised to find Jason still there waiting for him, he doesn’t show it. But he does give him the same defiant look as before, like he’s daring Jason to scold him.

“Did you win?”, Jason asks instead.

It takes a few seconds, but Damian finally relaxes and, as a response, smiles up at him. It’s not a happy, carefree, children-like smile. But it’s a pleased smile. It’s a smile that says that tonight ended with a win and a quiet peace of mind.

“Good”, Jason offers, smiling back.

Then, in a sudden rush of affection, he stands up and throws an arm around the kid’s shoulders, tugging him into his side.

“Now let’s sneak you back in the cave before Batdad notices that you’re missing.”

**Author's Note:**

> [Tumblr prompt](https://unavenged-robin.tumblr.com/post/168966200233/did-you-win-for-jason-and-damian-please)


End file.
